The Rhythm of Love
by 93 Diagon Alley
Summary: "We'll watch the world from above as it turns to the rhythm of love" - Fremione - Lyrics by the Plain White T's


_Been trying to write this one for months now. Hope you all like it :)  
Hopefully this burst of inspiration will bring even more, so I can work on finishing my WIPs..._

_Lyrics are from "The Rhythm of Love" by the Plain White T's_

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**The Rhythm of Love  
**By: 93 Diagon Alley

Hermione sighed and put down her teacup. It was late, and everyone staying at the Burrow was asleep except for her. Bill and Fleur's wedding had gone off without a hitch. It was a lovely ceremony, followed by a joyous reception, and the bride and groom couldn't have asked for a better day. By the time they'd cleaned up the paddock, nearly all the Weasleys and their guests were knackered, and headed off to their respective beds.

So why was she still awake?

Oh, right. The horcrux hunt.

She, Harry, and Ron had decided to leave early the morning after the wedding, slipping out of the house (hopefully) unnoticed before the rest of the family woke. And despite the excessive amounts of planning, packing, and research she'd done in preparation, she still couldn't wrap her head around the idea that by the next morning, she and her best mates would be on the run, attempting to destroy the most dangerous wizard in the history of the magical world.

She had already been out to sit in the garden, but it was too chilly. Currently, she was sitting at the kitchen table, nursing a cup of tea. Frustrated, she got up, put her cup in the sink, and headed back to Ginny's room to get a jumper.

Cable-knit sweater in hand, she made her way out into the quiet garden, and started when she spotted someone up on the roof. Squinting her eyes, she could barely make out the fact that he had both ears before she called out his name.

"Fred?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin in surprise, believing he'd been the only one awake in the house. _"Granger?"_

"What are you doing up there? Come down before you hurt yourself!"

"What are _you_ doing down _there? _Come up and join me before you wake the whole house!"

She considered for a moment, and then sighed her resignation. "How?"

"How what?" he replied.

"How do I get up there?"

_My head is stuck in the clouds  
She begs me to come down  
Says, "Boy, quit foolin' around"  
I told her, "I love the view from up here  
Warm sun and wind in my ear  
We'll watch the world from above  
As it turns to the rhythm of love"_

He grinned, pleased that she was actually going to join him, and pleasantly surprised that she hadn't immediately declined. "Go up to my room and climb through the window."

"Won't I wake George?" she asked, slightly nervous.

"Not if you're quiet," he replied. "Besides, he's drunker than Professor Trelawney on days ending in Y...he won't wake up without calling in a marching band."

She walked back into the house, and a few moments later, Fred could hear her harshly whispering his name from his window. "Fred! _Fred!_Help me out here!"

He chuckled and climbed over to help her up onto the roof. "There. That wasn't so hard, now, was it?"

"You _know_ I have a fear of heights!" she growled.

"Oh, right. I won't let you fall, Hermione," he replied, a little bashfully. "Anyway, what brings you out here?"

"Couldn't sleep," she said. "Too much on my mind."

"I understand. Everything's going to change after today, isn't it? I feel like this was our last day of real happiness before everything goes to pot. Granted, George and I will keep doing everything in our power to give people a little slice of happiness once in awhile, but there's only so much we can do."

Hermione nodded. "We're leaving tomorrow," she said quietly, after a moment. She has no idea why she's said it; they hadn't told anyone about their mission. But something about Fred, and this moment, felt right.

"It's tomorrow then, is it? George and I knew you guys must have some sort of mission, based on all the whispering and stealthy packing you've been doing, but we didn't know what or when."

"You know I can't tell you what it is," she sighed. "I shouldn't have even told you that we were leaving..."

"I didn't expect you to," he replied. "But now that I know this is your last night here, we're going to make the most of it."

_We may only have tonight  
But 'til the morning sun, you're mine  
All mine  
Play the music low  
And sway to the rhythm of love_

He cast a quiet _muffliato_ around the roof, and conjured up a radio. Turning it on, he tuned it to a station playing muggle big band music. He stood up, grabbed her hand, and pulled her to her feet. "Let's dance."

"D-dance?" she stuttered. "I can't. I'm terrible at it, you'll laugh at me."

"Come on, Granger. Are you really going to deny me this last simple request? What if, after you leave tomorrow, you never see me again?" he teased, and she froze, staring at him. "How would you feel then?"

She just stood there, eyes locked on his for a few moments, before she suddenly grabbed his face and kissed him.

_My heart beats like a drum  
A guitar string to the strum  
A beautiful song to be sung  
She's got blue eyes deep like the sea  
That roll back when she's laughing at me  
She rises up like the tide  
The moment her lips meet mine_

Shocked, he managed to respond less quickly than he'd have expected, and it ended sooner than he'd have liked. She started to pull away, but he put his hands on her hips and pulled her back to him, leaving a small amount of space between their bodies.

"I'm sorry! I just...the idea of the world without you in it, I just couldn't...I mean, I never imagined..." she stumbled across her words, trying to justify her actions, as her eyes clouded with tears. He leaned forward again and silenced her with his lips.

A few moments later, he pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. "It's always been you, you know," he whispered, flicking his wand at the radio and changing it to slower, softer music before drawing her to himself and beginning to sway them back and forth in an intimate sort of dance.

"What?" she breathed, her brain still a little addled from the unexpected kiss.

"I've always loved you," he replied, pulling his head back to look her in the eyes. "Since the day you were petrified, I've known that you were it for me. Faced with the prospect of you never recovering, I realized I wouldn't know what to do with myself without you."

_When the moon is low  
We can dance in slow motion  
And all your tears will subside  
All your tears will dry_

"Oh Fred," she whispered as she exhaled sharply. "Why did you never say anything?"

"Would you have believed me?" he asked, his eyes frowning.

She thought for a moment, and then shook her head slowly. "I suppose not. I wish you had anyway, though. We could have had so much more time together before all this."

He smiled sadly at her. "That's in the past, Hermione. Now, like I said before, let's make the most of what time we've got left." He flicked his wand again, switching the radio back to more upbeat music, and began to dance faster.

She wiped her eyes on the shoulder of her jumper and joined him in his dance. If she was going to leave tomorrow to fight in a war, she was going to make damn sure she made the most of her time remaining. She had just found Fred, and she wasn't going to let a moment go by before she left without him.

_And long after I've gone  
You'll still be humming along  
And I will keep you in my mind  
The way you make love so fine_

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Posted: 25 September 2012  
Word Count: 1,358


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